St Paul's United Church in Morden was decked out in celebratory colours of the rainbow last Sunday as the Pembina Parish was given an official Affirming Ministry Certificate.

It took the ministry, which consists of the Zion-Calvin United Church in Darlingford along with St. Paul's United, four years to earn the certificate presented by Affirm United (AU), an organization started in 1982 to support gay and lesbian members of the United Church, and to advocate for full inclusion.

"Jesus's inclusive love is infinite," said Minister Carrie Martens, who shared the significance of the day. "It is boundless even though the church, at times, has tried to make that love bounded or tried to close the doors of the church. the message of Christ is that God's love is infinite."

Martens said the process to become an Affirming Church included a lot of educational opportunities and discussions about what it actually means to be affirming.

"It's more than welcoming other people in, because we acknowledge that people who are here, are not outside of the church, they are part of the church. We are all one body, and so it's been a process of understanding who we are as a community that's diverse, and how we actually function together and discuss that diversity, so, that takes education," explained Martens.

The Affirming Process required the church to look at wording in its record books, to explore what it means to reconcile with Indigenous People, to look at racism within the church and to broaden the conversation about justice and inclusivity in the community.

Phillip Duncan, who identifies as gay and Two Spirited, grew up in Morden and is with Affirm United. Duncan attended St Paul's United Church from a young age, and described what it felt like to attend church then.

"I remember, as a teenager, before the United Church, in the eighties, ordained lesbian, bisexual and gay ministers that I felt like there was something wrong with me, that God didn't love me, and I was broken somehow. I know now, and I found out then, that's not the truth, that God's love is for everybody, Jesus' love is for everybody and especially those who are in need," said Duncan.

Pembina Valley Pride Interim President, Ryan Schroeder, was invited to attend the church service on Sunday.

"The Pembina Valley hasn't always been the safest place for members of the Rainbow Community," said Schroeder. "So, it's an affirmation that there is support and caring, and places where you can go to worship if you are of faith, and feel accepted and part of the community. So, it's something we can really celebrate and we wanted to show our support for that."

Duncan shared what this affirmation means for the community.

"Our message is to be a beacon of safety and a lighthouse of safety and safe space for everyone who wants to be welcoming to our church and specifically the 2SLGBTQIA+ Community," said Duncan. "To say publicly and explicitly that we welcome all to this congregation."